February 13, 1937

Detroit News Quilt History Project; Michigan State University Museum; Susan Salser

Detroit, Michigan, United States

A Quilt Club Corner column describing a quilt with almost 4,000 pieces and a member list.

Almost 4000 Pieces Used in Fashioning This Quilt
By Edith B. Crumb

If there is one quilt pattern that Mrs. Ellen Olsen, 2517 Springswell avenue, would rather make than any other it is the Flower Garden. In the accompanying illustration is shown the third quilt she has made from this design.

While Mrs. Olsen has used nothing more than a hexagonal shaped piece for her pattern she has arranged colors and materials to bring about a charming effect.

Instead of using just two rows around the center piece, she has filled out the large hexagon by having six rows. This makes it a large medallion and enough of these to make a good sized quilt have been arranged so that white diamond shaped pieces fill in the spaces. The diamond shaped pieces are also made of small white hexagon patches.

In the entire quilt there are 3,795 pieces. The back is green. This same color has been used for the binding. When it was finished she wanted to send it to her sister in England, but thinks she will wait until later so she can put it in the Detroit News quilt show. We hope she brings all the quilts and tops that she has made.

Everyone who comes to the sewing circle on Fridays (and we had a big attendance yesterday) is planning on bringing as many quilts as she possibly can.

The Quilt Club sisters were there and have the top for their Bridal Bouquet almost finished. Mrs. Fisher wants to thank everyone for the lovely cards she received. So many did not put on their addresses that she cannot thank them by note.

Yesterday a card was received from Mrs. Minnie Russel. She has been called to Milwaukee because of illness of her daughter and inasmuch as she expects to be there for some time, she wishes her Quilt Club friends would drop her a few friendly lines. Her address is Route No. 2, Box D, Milwaukee, Wis.

Mrs. Seth Wicker, 341 Woodland avenue, brought a guest (her aunt) Mrs. George German, from Oakland, Calif. Mrs. German is interested in quilt making and we hope to have her with us again.

Mrs. Bertha Engelmann,5526 Sheridan avenue, brought a crocheted table cloth which it took her seven months to make. She has an eight room house and there are eight members in her family, so we marvel she had enough time in seven months to make this large spread, which is about two yards wide and two and one-half yards long. She copied it from an imitation lace cloth and the design is of roses and a large medallion.

Mrs. Margaret Flora who joined the Quilt Club about two years ago when she lived in Roanoke, VA, has moved to Detroit and yesterday came to the Quilt Club meeting for the first time. She had such a good time and met so many quilt-makers that she wants to come every time. We hope that she does.

Mrs. Gabrielle Baecheroot brought a quilt and some clothes for the flood sufferers, and Mrs. Nellis Welke donated $1. There was also an envelope containing money to be given to flood suffers by Mrs. Marian Ridler. (This was a sum given by several quilt makers to Mrs. Ridler.) By the way, we were glad to see her at the meeting again. She skipped us last week and we missed her.

Mrs. Ethel Lawson surprised us by bring us a whole umbrella full of Valentine greetings in the form of poems which she must have spent hours and hours writing. Every one enjoyed the surprise even Mrs. Lawson who had to work hard to plan it.

Before I copy the birthday list, I want to tell you that Monday is Goldie McClellan's 25th wedding anniversary, Goldie lives at 2702 Carson avenue and I hope that you will drop her a card.

Cornerites Birthdays
Feb 18-Mrs. M.H. Rhoads, 7033 Mead avenue, Dearborn.
Feb 19-Minnie Nykanen, 20177 Cardoni avenue, Detroit.
Feb 19- Mrs. L. McGovern, 1832 Wayne street, Toledo, Ohio.
Feb 22-Mrs. Dawn Kast, 243 Baker street, Morenci, Mich.
Feb 22-Mrs. Sadie Lanstra, 1209 Lillibridge avenue, Detroit.
Feb 23- Mrs. Kay Clark, 3100 Wight street, Detroit.
Feb 23-Mrs. F.C. Weber, 8068 Homer avenue, Detroit.
Feb 24- Mrs. Ida Kline, Route No. 2, Fayette, Ohio.

These Members Belong to Quilt Club Corner
Mrs. Jacob Alvey,
Gatchel, Ind.

Pauline Bails,
Route 1,
New Carlisle, Ohio.

Mrs. Clara Gerhart,
Big Pool, Maryland.

Mrs. V.L. Kanka,
14890 Bringard Dr.

Mrs. Fred La Londe,
Northport, Mich.

Mrs. Bertha Landeck,
334 Burk Ave.,
River Rouge, Mich.

Mrs. Chas. Lewis,
254 W. Buena Vista Ave.,
Highland Park, Mich.

Mrs. Louise Moray,
14830 Trinity Ave.

Mrs. R.K Overbaugh,
Van Dyke, Mich.

Mrs. Joseph Penza,
7369 Kern Ave.

Mrs. Marie Ross,
14800 Saratoga Ave.

New Style for Flower Garden
Around each center hexagonal, Mrs. Ellen Olsen has put six rows of blocks of the same shape, each row being different in color and design from that next to it.

Courtesy of The Detroit News Archives.